Like many others, I’m not thrilled that I will be paying more for water service under this proposed decision, but I think the slight additional costs are more than balanced by the fact that Apple Valley Ranchos has done an excellent job maintaining its system, and all of us water users see the benefits of their stewardship. I can’t help but think of persons in areas such as Yermo, who until recently were having to put up with a failing system and a failing water company. Yet even there, despite the fact that Ranchos was stepping in to ensure their access to water, there were still those griping about paying a couple bucks more. Sometimes you have to wonder what these complainers use for brains.

I think a measure of the character of the people who run Ranchos is that they continue to plan for our future water needs, even though they are under relentless, meritless attack by the Town of Apple Valley. Ranchos has earned my support for no other reason than that.

Unlike representatives of the Town of Apple Valley and its astroturf army, I appreciate the time and consideration that the CPUC puts into evaluating matters such as this, and thank you for looking out for us, the consumer.

“The experiences of government-owned systems, such as Los Angeles and San Diego, suggest that government ownership is a recipe for deferred maintenance that ultimately translates into deteriorating service and substantially higher costs to address problems that had been kicked down the road due to poor asset management and planning.”